Haiti's first and only king
Marlene L Daut charts the extraordinary life of the Haitian revolutionary leader – who went on to become a traitor, ruler, and then monarch
Born to an enslaved mother in the British Caribbean in the tumultuous, brutal world of the late 18th century, Henry Christoph's role in the Haitian Revolution saw him rise to prominence – and was just one chapter in a remarkable trajectory that eventually led to him becoming the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Speaking to Matt Elton, Marlene L Daut discusses her Cundill Prize-nominated book, The First and Last King of Haiti, which tells this story.
Find out more about the Cundill History Prize
Marlene L Daut is the author of The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christoph (Yale University Press, 2025).
Authors
Matt Elton is BBC History Magazine’s Deputy Editor. He has worked at the magazine since 2012 and has more than a decade’s experience working across a range of history brands.